Background
Before entering private practice, John spent thirteen years at Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. as a trial attorney and a supervisory attorney. He currently handles a wide variety of criminal cases, computer crime cases, white-collar fraud, terrorism, and complex drug offenses. He serves as a National Coordinating Discovery Attorney and digital forensic consultant. Additionally, John is an adjunct professor at the California Western School of Law.
John has extensive experience in pre-trial, trial and as a digital forensic consultant.
John is a frequent presenter in the areas related to Digital Forensics, Location Data, and Social Media Investigations. Below is information about upcoming and previous speaking engagements.
- NACDL 2025 Midwinter Meeting & Seminar; Charlotte, NC (February 26-March 1, 2025)
- CACJ & CPDA Capital Case Defense Seminar; Monterey, CA (February 14-17, 2025)
- 2025 Federal Defender and CJA PADR Conference; Tampa Bay, FL (January 29 – February 1, 2025)
- Forensic Justice Institute 2025, Virtual Event (January 24, 2025)
- NYSDA’s Digital Evidence Training; Albany, NY (September 27, 2024)
- Wisconsin Public Defender’s Forensic U Program; Pewaukee, WI (August 14-16, 2024)
- NACDL – Come as You Are: Finding Your Trial Nirvana in Cross, Openings, and Closings; Seattle, WA (July 24-27, 2024)
- Electronic Courtroom Presentation Workshop; Atlanta, GA (July 18-20, 2024)
- NACDL & Cardozo Law School – National Forensic College; New York, NY (June 10-11, 2024)
- CAIL – Mobile Device Issues for the Defense; Plano, TX (May 2, 2024)
- ABA’s Annual Criminal Justice Section Spring Program – Forensic Science & Information Technology Institute; San Diego, CA (April 11-12, 2024)
- CACJ Appellate Seminar; San Francisco, CA (August 12, 2023)
- NCDC – National Criminal Defense College; Fairfax, VA (July 23-29, 2023)
- Electronic Courtroom Presentation Workshop; New Orleans, LA (July 13-15, 2023)
- NACDL – Cardozo Law National Forensic College (June 11-16, 2023)
- Making Sense of Science – Forensic Science and the Law Seminar; NACDL; Las Vegas, NV (April 27-29, 2023)
- Trial Skills Workshop, Crimes Decoded: Emerging Digital Technology Litigation Strategies; San Francisco, CA (April 20-22, 2023)
- Arizona Forensic Science Academy; Arizona Supreme Court (March 31, 2023)
- Drilling Down on Toolmark Evidence: An NCDC Forensic Cross-Examination Workshop in partnership with The Innocence Project; Denver, CO (March 16-19, 2023)
- Law & Technology Series: Techniques in Electronic Case Management (TECM) Workshop; Atlanta, GA (March 9-11, 2023)
- NACDL – Cardozo Law National Forensic College (June 11-13, 2022)
- Techniques in Electronic Case Management Workshop (June 2022)
- Techniques in Electronic Case Management Workshop (March 10-12, 2022)
- Track, Tracking, Tracked—Reviewing Tracking Technology; Defender Services Training Branch Trial Skills Workshop, Crimes Decoded: Emerging Digital Technology (October 25, 2021)
- Geofence Warrants Make Bad Fourth Amendment Neighbors; CACJ Appellate Practice Seminar (August 22, 2021)
- Best Practices for Authentication and Admissibility of Digital Evidence; NACDL National Forensic College (June 11, 2021)
Areas of Practice
Federal and State Trial and Appeals
John has tried over twenty-five felony federal trials. The emphasis of his practice is white-collar defense and offenses involving computers. His experience includes motions to suppress evidence, motions to suppress statements, motions to dismiss indictments, motions for new trials, and motions challenging the introduction of digital forensic evidence.
Forensics & E-Discovery
John focuses on extracting and interpreting data from digital devices, explaining forensic reports to defense teams, and analyzing location data from phone companies, digital devices, and applications.
Publications and Memberships
Publications
- Inside The Black Box: Excluding Evidence Generated by Algorithms (nlsblog.org November 2021) – Inside The Black Box: Excluding Evidence Generated by Algorithms | nlsblog.org
- Google Data and Geofence Warrant Process (nlsblog.org January 2021) – Google Data and Geofence Warrant Process | nlsblog.org
- E-Discovery: Computer Forensic Images and Computer Forensic Reports (nlsblog.org July 2020) – E-Discovery: Computer Forensic Images and Computer Forensic Reports | nlsblog.org
- Ephemeral Messaging Apps (nlsblog.org September 2020) – Ephemeral Messaging Apps | nlsblog.org
- E-Discovery: Mobile Forensic Reports (nlsblog.org September 2020) – E-Discovery: Mobile Forensic Reports | nlsblog.org
- Can You See Me Now: The Increased Use of Ephemeral Messaging Apps (Bits and Bytes Spring 2019)
- Federal Sex Offenses, in Defending a Federal Criminal Case (Volume III, Chapter 25) (2016)
- Plea Agreements, in Defending a Federal Criminal Case (Volume I, Chapter 15) (2010)
Memberships
- Immediate Past President, San Diego Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Club
- Board Member, San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association
- Legal Task Group, Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science
- Member, San Diego ESI Forum
- Faculty Member, National Criminal Defense College
- Faculty Member, National Forensic College
Contact The Law Offices of John C. Ellis, Jr.
Do not provide any sensitive or confidential information in contact messages.
San Diego, CA 92106
For general inquiries, please email contact@johnellislaw.com.
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